Cynic
by Philosopher Fictionist
Summary: Okay, first Reign of Fire fic, but I've got quite a few elsewhere. Not sure where this is going, but hopefully it'll keep writing itself. AU- Creedy centered, and his survivial is explained in first chapter. RR
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Chaz sighed, scratching her forehead and letting her eyes close, feeling relatively safe in her little hole, her back tucked into a corner where two stone walls met. They weren't really walls, but she couldn't really think of anything else to call them. She'd discovered the place almost accidentally. It was nearly a surprise to her how well she'd done, out here on her own in a place she knew nothing about. With a groan, she shifted and crawled toward the opening of the tiny cave, squinting in the bright light. She shook her head and backed up, back to where she'd just been sitting. Her eyes fell on the only weapons she had, lingering there with a sad gaze. She shook her head and fell into a fitful sleep.

---

Quinn looked on, his expression a combination of surprise and horror as the castle exploded behind Creedy, who'd just forced him into the safe room and started back up the steps to rescue the few children left on the upper levels of the castle. It all turned to slow motion as Creedy heard the roar of the fire behind him, staring over his shoulder and then back at Quinn, whose lips were moving, silent beneath the roar of the impending inferno. Finally, Creedy's limbs sprung to life, sending him diving back into the shelter, his fingers closing on the handle to yank it shut behind him. A few licks of flame danced around the edge of the door, but disappeared as the door latched, extinguished by the water raining from the pipes above. Creedy's chest heaved as he lay sprawled on the floor, propped up on an elbow he knew would be skinned to the bone when he looked at it. His eyes met Quinn's, and a tiny smile of relief appeared on both of their faces.

He groaned as he sat up, brushing his hands off and checking his arm. Might not be skinned to the bone, like it felt, but he'd definitely be hurting tomorrow. He shook it off, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, and when the gray-green orbs reappeared, at least thirty smaller pairs of eyes were focused on him, some scared, some relieved, and some angry. He gave them all a small nod, wincing as he shifted onto his knees, his bloodied fingers protesting as he folded his hands together.

"What do we do when we wake?" he asked quietly, looking to the children around him. Quinn's hand clapped tightly on his shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze.

---

Chaz woke with a start, nearly smacking her head on the ceiling of her little cave, barely missing a large protrusion of stone right above her. She sighed, shaking her head and crawling toward the opening of the cave. Twilight. With a heavy sigh, she wriggled back into the cave and collected the few things she'd been able to salvage from the plane; nothing but her weapons and a small backpack carrying a few changes of clothes, several bottles of water, and a box of those little fish-shaped cheese crackers, among other things. She hopped from the ledge, landing with a heavy thud, and adjusted the straps of her backpack, trekking off toward the horizon, her blue eyes darting around rapidly. As she walked, she hummed to herself, moving slowly over the rocky hills to avoid drawing attention to herself. She'd have to find a place to hide soon. An hour wasn't long, and it would probably be a long time before she'd find a safe place to stay longer than the time it took for twilight to return.

"Can't fucking believe this," she muttered to herself, wiping a dirty sleeve over her forehead. She didn't care that it streaked soot and mud over her skin, only that it removed the sweat. A gasp passed her lips as her toe caught on a rock, and she barely got her hands up in time to keep her nose from smashing into another, larger rock. "Fuck!" She heaved a sigh and stood up, brushing dirty hands on dirty pants. Just as she moved to adjust the items over her shoulder, a sound caught her attention, and she froze, jaw hanging slack for a moment before she dared look over her shoulder. "Well, hot damn," she said, watching the helicopter rise over a mountain behind her.

She looked around for something to use to get their attention, instantly wishing she had a flare, and settled for getting to the summit of the hill she'd been climbing and jumping up and down, waving her arms like a mad woman. "Please see me," she pleaded, ripping her long sleeve shirt over her head and using it as a flag. The helicopter slowed, hovering close enough for her to see two people in the craft, one piloting and the other pointing at her. The chopper did a little nod with its nose and flew away. "Well, fuck you too," she hissed, stooping to snatch up her belonging and toss them over her shoulder. As she started down the backside of the hill, the beating of the helicopter's blades continued, and she lifted her head from watching where her feet fell, avoiding the rocks. She took off at top speed, hurling herself toward the waiting chopper, and was pulled in by a set of rather large and very tattooed arms.

---

"They'll come back, Quinn," Creedy insisted quietly, eyeing the sleeping children littering the floor of the shelter. The water had long since lost pressure and was now only dripping in a few spots. He tilted his head back and caught a few drops before looking back to his friend, who only shook his head defeatedly.

"If he didn't kill them, they'll go on," he insisted quietly.

"You don't know that," Creedy countered, receiving a sharp glance. He managed a small smile and reached out to tousle Quinn's already messy hair. Quinn only sighed, catching a few drops of water himself, and closed his eyes to signal the end of the conversation. Creedy shook his head, resigning himself to sleep as well.

---

"What's your name?" The man yelled at her over the incessant noise of the chopper. Chaz yelled her answer, and he nodded. "Denton Van Zant. Kentucky Regulars," he continued, extending a hand. She shook it, smiling weakly. "Were you alone?"

"Long story," she replied, shaking her head sadly. "I can't yell that long." He flashed her a charming, albeit a little creepy, smile and turned back to the pilot, giving her a small nod before staring out the windshield as well. Chaz sighed, clutching her bag tighter to her chest. Her eyes widened, and she stood, crouching as she leaned out the door a little, her eyes glowing in the heat of the fire slowly dying out after destroying what looked to be the remnants of an old castle.

"We're too late," she heard Van Zant yell to the pilot, whose name she'd not yet learned.

"There might be survivors," the pilot yelled back. "We're going in to find them, Van Zant." He nodded once, glancing over his shoulder at Chaz watching her stare in awe at the destruction.

They landed at the base of the hill, and Chaz slowly gathered her things. As the helicopter's motor slowed, talking became much easier, and soon the air was eerily silent as all three just stared up at the burning building.

"That had to be one big fucking one," Chaz breathed, shaking her head slightly. Van Zant glanced at her sharply, as though he'd forgotten she was there. She managed a small smile, dropping her bag to the ground before starting up the hill toward the bottom of the steps. At the first platform, she turned to see if they were following, and they were just starting up the steps. She waited. They seemed to know this place, and since she didn't, she'd let them lead. The fire had burned down enough to be safe to explore, and Van Zant led the way, kicking aside charred debris.

"This way," the female pilot said, nodding toward a set of stone steps leading down to a lower level. Chaz sneezed, kicking up dust as she helped move the debris away from a the steps so they could make it down them safely.

---

Creedy opened his eyes slowly, his brows already furrowed. He sat up suddenly, whacking Quinn in the chest as he got to his feet. Quinn grumbled something, and Creedy held a grubby finger to his lips.

"You hear that?" he asked, straining to hear. Quinn's eyes widened, and they both looked to the door, then to each other, before bolting toward it and pounding furiously. The children woke, watching as Quinn and Creedy both beat on the heavy metal door.

"Push!" Quinn commanded, both straining against the weight.

"Back up!" came a voice from the other side, and they each took a step back, Creedy holding out a hand to keep the kids where they were. The door groaned and creaked, opening slowly to reveal two female faces, one Alex and another unrecognized, staring down at them, still bent over piles of debris. Van Zant appeared from behind the door, an almost apologetic expression on his face. He nodded at Quinn, who nodded back before pushing past the man and starting up the steps.

---

"Jesus," Chaz whispered, glancing at the pilot, who was also staring into the small room behind the door. She'd almost had a heart attack when someone on the other side of the door started beating on the metal, falling backwards and landing on her ass on the corner of a step. A lanky looking man emerged first, staring at Van Zant with an expression bordering on hate, and her eyebrow rose of its own volition. _So he did know where he was going,_ she thought. _And it doesn't seem to be a happy reunion._ Another man appeared behind the first, soot and grime also smeared all over his face, his brown curls looking damp. Their eyes met for a brief second, and he blinked quickly, looking away first.

Chaz stood to her full height as the first guy brushed past her, staring at the children starting to file out of the room, numbering much larger than she would have figured. A tear slid down her cheek as they started filing past, most of them still in their pajamas, all staring around with wide, scared eyes. She brushed it away quickly with a sleeve, descending the steps to help the smaller children up. A few moments later, she was alone with the two she'd met in the helicopter. She managed a small smile, extending a hand to the pilot.

"I'm Chaz," she said quietly. The woman grasped her hand and smiled.

"Alex," she answered with a nod. Chaz nodded back, heaving a sigh as she started back up the steps.

---

Chaz sat on the ground, her legs hanging over a ledge, feet bouncing off the wall below her in a haphazard rhythm. The argument below continued, something about going to London. She couldn't catch much more than that. As the conversation had drawn on, she'd learned the first man out of the little safe room was named Quinn, the second Creedy or Greedy or something like that. His brogue was too thick for her to really understand much of what he'd said anyway. She sighed, watching her feet bounce. A few minutes later, someone plopped down next to her with an equally heavy sigh. She glanced up, quickly turning back to staring at her feet.

"Everyone okay?" she asked quietly. Another heavy sigh, and she shook her head.

"Not really," he answered. She felt his eyes on her, and looked back at him, managing a small smile.

"I'm sorry." He nodded once, breaking his gaze on her. "I'm Chaz," she offered.

"Creedy."

"What was that all about?" she asked, nodding to where the argument had taken place. He licked his lips, shaking his head.

"Alex has this theory that there's only one male."

"So they're going to London to kill it," she finished. His eyes met hers, and she read her answer there. "So that Quinn guy," she pressed. "He's your brother or something?"

"No," Creedy said with a small laugh. "He's not my brother. Longtime friend." Her eyebrow twitched down a little, and she looked away, swallowing thickly. "Where'd you come from?" She laughed a little, glancing up at him. "What I mean is," he corrected slowly with a twisted grin, "you weren't with them before." He nodded to where Van Zant and Alex stood, discussing something quietly. "Obviously you're American, like them." She snickered, rubbing her forehead. "Where'd they find you?"

"I was walking along the hills," she said, nodding in the direction she'd been. "Heard the chopper and started jumping up and down hoping they'd see me." A small laugh vibrated in her throat, a sound he decided he liked. "Figured I'd either flag them down or turn my ankle and have to stay there, so I flagged them down. They picked me up and here we are."

"And before that?"

"What?" she asked quickly. His eyebrow rose, and she laughed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I'm just so busy paying attention to your accent I forget to listen to the question." He gave her a small laugh as well.

"I'm not the one with the accent," he said, wincing as she brushed against the arm he'd scraped. She glanced down as he pulled his arm away.

"Oh my God," she gasped, grasping his wrist and peeling the sleeve of his shirt away from the wound. "Jesus, you need to do something about this."

"With what?" he asked, amusement in his voice. She made a face at him and produced her backpack, digging for her little travel first aid kit. His eyebrow rose as she pawed through, finally getting to work on his arm.

"I was on my way to Glasgow," she said quietly, watching him glance up at her quickly.

"Did you see it?" She paused in caring for his arm to meet his eyes questioningly. His eyes fell, and she sighed, going back to work.

"No. Is that where you're from?" He only nodded a little. "No, we didn't get that far. The plane crashed not too far from here."

"If I may ask…" he trailed off, wincing as the rubbing alcohol invaded his nerves, stinging unforgivingly.

"Sorry," she said quickly, wrapping his arm in gauze. "Why was I going to Glasgow?" He nodded. She sighed, pulling away from him after taping the gauze in place and dropped her hands in her lap.

"Did you have family there?" She shook her head, reaching for her backpack. He whistled as she pulled out a crossbow and set it down in her lap, running her fingers over the metal frame. "So you're an archer." She remained silent, only nodding. "And?"

"The U.S. Army figured out that you can kill the damn things if you can get a bomb down its throat," she said quietly. "They started calling up all the professional archers. Mass produced explosive tips for our bolts." She took a breath to continue.

"Bolts?" he asked.

"Arrows," she said with a smile. "Bolt and quarrel are usually used for the arrows you use on a crossbow, but it doesn't really matter." He nodded. "Anyway, they didn't give us much choice."

"Sounds familiar," he said flatly. She followed his gaze to Van Zant and smiled a little.

"Lemme guess," she started. "He tried the same shit here." Creedy nodded, chewing on his bottom lip. "Ass."

"So you're the only one that made it, yeah?" Creedy asked. She nodded, sighing.

"I better put this away before he sees it," she said quietly, lifting the crossbow to put it back in her pack. "I don't think he noticed my compound."

"Too late." Her head snapped up just in time to see Van Zant and Alex glance at each other, then to her before heading up the steps.

"Fuck me," Chaz muttered, shaking her head.

"I'll think of something," Creedy said quietly, nudging her arm as he stood. She zipped her pack up and started to stand, noticing he held his hand out to her. With a smile, she let him help her up just as Van Zant and Alex appeared at the top of the steps.

"So you're an archer," Van Zant said, rocking back on his heels.

"That's right," she said, her gaze not wavering from his. "What's your point?" Creedy glanced at her quickly.

"You're coming with us," Van Zant informed her, turning to head back down the steps.

"Like hell I am," she snapped, watching the man pause before turning to her slowly.

"What was that?"

"Van Zant," Alex started, but he held out a hand and cast her a gaze that would make anyone shut up.

"How did you get to this side of the world, huh?" Van Zant asked, his voice suddenly low and warning. Chaz stood her ground, taking a stance that made it obvious she'd do anything to keep from going. Creedy took a step away from her, attempting to stay out of it.

"Plane crash. I'm sure you saw the wreckage coming in," Chaz said evenly. "A week ago." Creedy's jaw dropped. She'd survived out there on her own for a week, with no shelter and only what she'd brought with her. "We were headed to Glasgow."

"You're with the cavalry then," Van Zant surmised. She noticed the glint in his eye and decided to side with Creedy's assessment of the man.

"I guess you could say that."

"Then you're coming with us and doing your fucking job," Van Zant said flatly. Chaz only quirked an eyebrow at him, tilting her head to the side.

"And what happens to the rest of them," she started, nodding toward Creedy, "when the females come back while you're out trying to save the fucking world on your own? They don't have a castle to hide in now, thanks to you, I'm sure, so what the fuck are _they _supposed to do?" Van Zant's eyes narrowed, but she only raised her brows in a challenge.

"You better watch yourself, little girl," he growled, taking a step toward her. "You were drafted into the U.S. military to do a job. Don't tell me you're refusing orders."

"I never had the luxury," she spat back. "You all didn't exactly ask me if I was willing to do this. You just assumed I would and forced me into it. Well, I'm here now," she huffed. "And I say I'm staying to help take care of thirty some odd kids who don't have many adults left to look after them." She took a step toward him. "And to be completely honest with you, I think you know I'm right and just don't have the rocks to admit it."

"She's right," Alex said quickly, grasping Van Zant's shoulder. "Between you, me, and Quinn, we should be fine. We can't leave them here like this." Van Zant glanced over his shoulder quickly, and turned back to Chaz with a snarl. She only stared right back at him, arms crossed over her chest.

"Well?" she asked.

"How many tips do you have?" he asked sharply.

"You mean how many explosive heads do I have?" she asked with a smirk. "Tips are the butt end of the arrow. I have 40 of those. But I only have ten explosive heads."

"Give us three. That'll leave you seven. Should be enough, don't you think?"

"Wow, he even does math," Chaz quipped, receiving a glare from Van Zant and a snicker from Creedy. Alex cleared her throat and Chaz sighed, crouching to dig through her bag, handing Van Zant three of her precious arrowheads. He let her drop them into his hand and walked back down the stairs without another word. Alex managed a small smile before following. "So what now?" she asked quietly, leaning against the railing. Creedy stood behind her, watching Van Zant, Alex, and Quinn climb into the helicopter and fly off.

"Now we start over," he said. She nodded slowly.

"We only work in twilight," she started. "I'll keep watch." Creedy nodded, watching her jog down the stairs. He heaved a sigh, finally deciding to follow. "Will you give me a hand?" she asked quietly, crouching to grab one end of a large chunk of charred wood. His eyebrow rose, but he nodded, helping her carry it toward a tree somewhat off the main area of the castle grounds, where she pulled a padded plastic target out of her backpack and pinned it to the wood.

"Practice?" She nodded, picking up her pack and following him back up to the rubble.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Creedy dropped onto the top step, heaving a weary sigh as he wiped the sweat from his brow. His whole body ached. After three days of nothing but construction during the four hours of twilight per day, though there was twelve hours rest in between, he was completely beat. He heard a thwack and lifted his head, eyes searching for the source of the noise. Another thwack and he just couldn't leave it alone. He stood slowly, still looking around, until he saw Chaz, pulling back the string of her compound bow and letting another loose, the same thwack sounding as the arrow hit the target. A small smirk made its way to his lips and he descended the stairs quietly, pausing to watch her pull another arrow from her quiver and wind up.

Watching her now, she looked nothing like the fragile wisp of a woman he'd seen before. Her long sleeve shirt had been shed, leaving her in the cargos barely clinging to her hips and a dirty Army green tank top. As she pulled the string back and steadied her aim, the muscles in her arm clenched and he had to raise an eyebrow. She was thin alright, but that compact frame was packed with lean muscle. Tall, thin, and strong. He gave himself a mental slap and shook his head, clearing his throat. The corners of her lips turned upwards, but she didn't waver, instead letting off a shot.

"You ever shoot one of these?" she asked, finally turning to him. He shrugged, eyeing the compound bow she held at her side now.

"Not really." Her eyebrow rose.

"Not really?" she repeated, adding a small laugh. "Either you have or you haven't. Like being pregnant. You are or you aren't. No such thing as not really or a little bit."

"I haven't," he said finally. She smiled, holding the bow out to him. He held his hands up and backed away. "No, I don't think so." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on," she pushed. "I promise I won't make fun of you." His eyebrows shot up, and she laughed. "It's not hard. I'll show you how, okay?" He paused, running a hand through his hair.

"Alright, fine then," he said finally, taking the bow she held out to him.

"You right handed?" When he nodded, she smiled. "Good." She quickly showed him how to stand and set up the arrow for him. "Hang on a second, don't move," she said, taking the arm guard off her left arm. He watched her strap it onto his arm and then step back. "Okay, just to warn you, your draw length would be a lot longer than mine, but I'm not gonna reset my bow just for you. Sorry," she explained with a wink. "Just pull it back until it stops, steady it, and then let go."

"That simple, then," he said, sounding somewhat skeptical.

"That simple," she said with a small nod, moving to stand behind him. He sighed, shaking his head a little before pulling back and letting go, grinning when he actually hit one of the rings on the target. "Told you," she said with a shrug. "Go ahead and let off a few more."

"And you?" She only sent him a grin, stooping to pick the crossbow up from the ground a few feet away.

"Now, see that thing," he said, pointing at the crossbow, "should be handled by a man. You could put someone's eye out with that thing." Her eyebrow rose, and her blue eyes remained trained on his as she loaded it, finally breaking the gaze to aim and fire, hitting the target dead in the middle. He let out a low whistle.

"The scope helps," she said with a shrug. "Anyway, we should probably head in. Gettin' dark." He looked up at the sky and nodded. She slung the crossbow over her shoulder and walked over to the target, yanking out the arrows and dropping them into her quiver, tossing it over her shoulder. She held her hand out as she walked back to him, but he shook his head.

"I got it." A small smile touched her lips, and they walked slowly back toward the castle.

"How long do you think it'll take?" she asked quietly, nodding toward the damaged top third of the building. He sighed, shaking his head.

"As long as it takes." An uncomfortable silence ensued, and finally he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "How many were with you?"

"Seven," she answered quietly. "They kept us in our teams. People I practiced with, competed against. We were the best eight of our region, some from the same club." She gave a small shrug. "We all knew each other."

"And your family?"

"Didn't have any," she said, starting up the steps. "They died when I was about nineteen. I was already on my own by then," she continued.

"Dragons?"

"Nope. Heart attack." He paused behind her, and when she no longer heard his footsteps, she stopped as well, turning back to see him a few steps down. "They never had the pleasure of meeting one."

"Lucky for them," he quipped. She sent him a weak smile and nodded a little, avoiding his eyes.

"Her. My mother," she corrected, continuing up the stairs. "I never knew my father, never had any brothers or sisters. Just me and mom. And she got out of this hellhole before it even started."

"How old are you?" he asked, leading her down into the belly of the castle, where they could be far away from the opening in the ceiling.

"Twenty-six," she said, adjusting the crossbow over her shoulder to keep from smacking it against the wall as they went down yet another set of stairs. "Jesus Christ," she groaned, leaning against the wall. "No wonder y'all are so fuckin' skinny. Too many goddamn stairs." He chuckled, shaking his head as he sat on a step.

"You're quite thin yourself," he noted, making a show of looking her up and down. She snickered, sliding down the wall to sit next to him. A moment later, she heaved a sigh, dropping her head.

"So how safe is this place now?" she asked. He stared up at the opening above them and shrugged.

"Long as we stay in or near the shelter, we should be fine," he said. "And hopefully the damn thing won't come back."

"You know," she said, pausing to lick her lips. She stopped, glancing at him quickly. "They went to London because they think there's one male. The rest are female. Kill the male, they can't reproduce and eventually they'll die out." He blinked. "If they're like other reptiles, that bull is gonna be at least ten times bigger than the bitches any of us have seen."

"Do you believe that?" he asked, leaning an elbow on a stair behind him. She shrugged.

"Makes sense. I mean, if you think about it." She sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know. I guess."

"See, the way I figure," he said, tilting his head at her. "It's gonna be us versus them for the rest of human existence."

"How pessimistic of you," she quipped with a grin. He cracked a smile, and silence fell over them for a moment. Her smile fell, and she stared at her hands in her lap for a while before speaking again. "I never wanted to be here," she said, shaking her head. "Now I'm stuck here."

"It's not so bad here," he said, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of brown hair behind her ear. Her eyes met his, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Besides the dragons, right?"

"Well, yeah," he said with a snicker.

"Where are the kids?" she asked suddenly, looking skywards. He scrambled to his feet, staring up through the missing ceiling.

"In the shelter," he said, glancing at her quickly.

"Close the door and stay with them," she said, reaching for her compound bow in his hand.

"What?"

"Stay with the kids and close the fucking door," she said firmly, staring up at him. He let her take the bow from him, and she started back up the steps, turning back to him at the landing. "Go, Creedy," she said. He nodded, running down the stairs toward the shelter. She watched him until he disappeared, finally swearing to herself before finding a place to hide and ready her arrows. After plopping in a corner, she set her backpack between her legs, laying out four arrow shafts. She lined up four of the explosive heads and started screwing them together, finally slinging her crossbow over one shoulder, her quiver over the other, carrying the compound in her hand as she ran along the perimeter of the castle. It passed again with a whoosh, and she ducked, barely avoiding the barb on its trailing tail. She waited until she could no longer hear the flap of its wings and took off, taking the stairs by two on the way down to the ground, sliding along the wall toward a clearing. After a quick glance around, she took off at full speed toward the horse tethered under a canopy.

Creedy slowly crept back up the stairs, stopping at the top to peer out through a window, swearing when he saw her take off toward the horse. A moment later, the horse tore away, running at top speed away from the castle. He ducked as the dragon swooped over the castle, hissing furiously as it chased her down. A good half mile away, she stopped, gracefully swinging off the horse and smacking its hindquarters, sending it on its way at a run. She hid behind a tree, and the ground shook as the dragon slammed to the ground, stalking toward her as it hissed.

She swore silently, looking around for something she could use for cover in case she couldn't get in the right position in time. After a quick glance back up at the castle, she darted for a large rock right in front of the beast, rolling behind it just as it spit a healthy stream of fire at her. Sweat instantly broke out on her skin at the intense heat, and she was sure she'd have blisters. The ground shook as it took another step toward her, and she lifted up, swinging around and taking aim through the scope of the crossbow. It let out a hiss, drool dripping from the corners of its mouth and pulled back, taking a breath to blow more fire, and she let the arrow go, ducking back down behind the boulder as it impacted. She yelped at the explosion, curling into a trembling ball and covering her head. After counting her heartbeats for a full five minutes, she lifted her head over the top of the rock, sighing in relief. She stood slowly, staring at the now dead dragon, flames still licking at its skin. "Shit," she sighed, dropping to her knees. Her fingers shook as she reached for the chain around her neck, pulling a pendant from inside her shirt and kissing it, shaking her head. With a grunt, she stood and dusted herself off, heading back into the woods to pick up her compound bow before slowly walking back toward the castle. Her knees gave out halfway up the first set of stairs, and she let out a strangled cry, ripping her knees open on the stone. She just lay there, too tired now to move, and rested her head on a step.

"Jesus Christ, what the hell did you think you were doing?" Creedy demanded, running down the stairs toward her. He helped her to her feet, and she let him support her, pointing out toward where the dragon now lay. He only shook his head, half carrying her back through the castle toward the shelter. She slid to the floor just outside the door to the safe room, still huffing and puffing. "Well, I must say you sit a horse well," he said, sitting down across from her. She snickered, but it quickly turned into a sigh as she leaned her head back against the wall.

"One down, thousands to go." She let her eyes close for a moment, concentrating on slowing her breathing. "I just hope Van Zant figures out it was a damn good idea to leave me behind."

"Either that, or he'll wish he had you along."

"Well, if that's the case he can go fuck himself," she mumbled. Creedy couldn't help but chuckle at that, returning the smile she granted him. "I'm sure Quinn will appreciate my insisting on staying behind anyway." Creedy only nodded.

"What's that?" he asked, nodding at her necklace. Her fingers closed around it protectively, dropping it back inside her shirt.

"A dragon pendant." His eyebrow rose, and he leaned toward her a little. "My mother gave it to me when I was sixteen."

"You took a liking to dragons then," he surmised.

"Yeah, well," she said, shrugging. "That was long before I met one. You know," she continued, "it took them a few years to migrate to our side of the world." He nodded. "I guess we were better equipped to handle them at first, but it looks just like this place now." She heaved a sigh, chewing on her bottom lip. "They accidentally found out how to kill them, and word spread fast, I guess."

"Not to our side of the world." She smiled, shaking her head.

"Your communications were out by then. They tried to send word, but never got any answers. Hopefully this theory that there's only one bull is right. Eventually they'll burn everything up and run out of ashes to eat." She shifted against the wall. "Starve to death, the motherfuckers."

"You've got quite a mouth on you," he noted with a grin. She shrugged.

"Damn yanks, right?"

"That's right," he said, the grin remaining. She chuckled a little, shifting again with a grimace.

"My ass is going numb."

"Well, pick it up then," he said. She made a face at him, groaning as she stood. He stood as well, picking up her compound bow, grunting as he worked the door to the safe room open. She slung her pack over her shoulder and picked up her crossbow, following him into the room. He pulled the door almost shut and settled down on the floor beside it, watching her curl up on a stack of blankets, quickly falling asleep, still clutching the pendant tightly in her fingers. He smiled, shaking his head a little, and resigned himself to sleep as well.

---

She woke suddenly, a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes fell on Creedy, who was crouching over her. He smiled apologetically, holding a finger to his lips and nodding toward the sleeping children.

"I just noticed the damage you did to yourself," he said, glancing at her bloodied knees. "We need to get you cleaned up." She nodded, wincing as he helped her to her feet. He led her up the stairs and around a few corridors into what seemed to be a group sleeping room, several bunk beds lined up. He sat her on a lower bunk, unzipping the front pouch of her backpack, which she just now noticed he'd brought along. She watched him try to clean her scrapes through the holes she'd made in the knees of her pants, finally laughing. "Yeah, I think you're going to have to take them off," he said. She could have sworn he'd blushed, but with as dark as it was in the room, she couldn't tell for sure. "I might be able to find a pair of mine that didn't get burned, but I can't make any promises," he said, turning to pull open a charred bureau drawer.

"Yeah, like your pants would fit me," she quipped, standing to remove her cargos. "And these were my favorite ones, too, dammit." He snickered, dropping a neatly folded pair on the bed next to her.

"You're pretty handy with this little medical kit in your bag," he commented, glancing up to see if she was wincing as badly as he had. She shrugged.

"I think I've got a sewing kit in there somewhere, too."

"Good. You can fix your pants with it." She laughed, watching him gently mop up the dried blood. "You've got some pebbles in there," he sighed. "It's going to hurt."

"I think I can handle it," she said, smiling as he glanced up at her quickly.

"Great," he mumbled. "Not only are you sitting on my bed with your pants off, you're mocking how I handled being in your position earlier today."

"I'm not mocking," she insisted. "I'm just saying I can handle a little sting." She suddenly sucked in a sharp breath, gripping the sheets tightly. She was amazed the bed was nearly untouched by the flames, only one post charred. He taped a gauze pad to each scrape and stood, busying himself with putting her medical kit back together and replacing it in her bag as she pulled on the pants he'd put on the bed.

"Well, I guess we're even now." She looked up at him, both smiling as she demonstrated just how loose his jeans were on her.

"I hope I don't have to do any running any time soon," she said with a chuckle. "I'd end up falling with your pants around my ankles."

"Oh, now there's a picture," he said. She clicked her tongue at him and flopped back on the bed, staring up through a hole in the ceiling leading through the upper levels to the sky.

"You know, if you think they can handle sleeping like this, you could let the kids out. Set them all up in here." He glanced around. "Doesn't look like it's too bad, except the beds right near the door. They wouldn't have to sleep on stone that way." He ran a hand through his hair and turned around a few times, surveying the damage.

"Yeah, maybe," he said. "You think we'll get another one?"

"Not with a stinky carcass down there," she snickered, shaking her head. "I think we'll be fine all hours of the day until it completely breaks down. It'll smell like shit until it does, but at least we'll be safe." He nodded, licking his lips.

"Alright," he said finally. "I'll go get them. We can put two of them in each bed." She nodded, curling up on one side as he left the room. A few moments later, she listened as he tucked each of them into their beds, finally sitting behind her to face them. "Okay kids, prayers." She heard the ruffling of blankets as the children sat up and watched him expectantly. "What do we do when we wake?"

"Keep both eyes on the sky," came the chorus' reply. She turned onto her back, a look of bewilderment as she watched the exchange.

"What do we do when we sleep?"

"Keep one eye on the sky."

"What do we do when we see him?"

"Dig hard, dig deep, run for shelter, and never look back." A soft smile touched her lips, and he nodded, sitting there until they all settled back down.

"Guess we're bunking up then, huh?" she asked quietly. He glanced at her over his shoulder at her and looked around the room.

"No, I'll stay up," he whispered back. "Keep watch."

"I'll hear them," she said. He sighed, and she reached out, resting a hand on his arm. "You need sleep as much as they do." He nodded, and she rolled back onto her side, scooting over to give him more room. He slid under the covers behind her and heaved a sigh. "But don't worry," she added, burrowing deeper under the covers. "They won't come back tonight."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Creedy woke at dawn, inhaling sharply. She shifted against him, and he noticed that somehow over the course of the night, she'd turned on her side and ended up cradled against him, using his shoulder as a pillow, and he'd wound his arm around her side. His cheeks grew warm as a small smile touched his lips, and he glanced around, noting with satisfaction that all the children were still asleep. She moved again, sliding a hand over his stomach and around the other side, tucking her fingers in under his back and pulled herself a little closer. A glint of silver caught his eye, and he reached out, lifting the pendant around her neck to look at it more closely. Her arm twitched around his middle, and he glanced up at her face quickly, but she was still asleep. Suddenly, her hand was around his, eyes staring up at him questioningly. He managed a small smile, and she let her eyes close again, moving away from him. She lifted her head to let him move his arm, and he clenched and unclenched his hand, getting the blood moving again.

"We should get up, then," he said quietly. "Start working." She nodded, stifling a yawn as she swung her legs over the other side of the bed. As he woke the kids up, she pulled her long sleeve shirt on. "Um, breakfast," he sighed, shaking his head.

"Have you been down to the kitchen?" she asked quietly. He shook his head again. "I'll go," she said, heading for the stairs. She returned a few minutes later and nodded to Creedy, who rounded up the kids, single file, and led them down to the kitchen. It was completely silent as he handed out tiny boxes of cereal to the kids.

After everyone had eaten, he led them all outside, the older, stronger boys helping with reconstruction, and the younger ones playing in the courtyard, staying close to the castle instinctively. Creedy returned to the kitchen, seeing Chaz still sitting on the counter, turning a box of cereal over in her hands as she stared into space.

"You okay?" She started at the sound of his voice, nearly dropping the box, and forced a small smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He sighed, leaning against the counter next to her. She set the box down and slid to the ground, pulling the rubber band from her hair and pulling it back again. He reached out to stop her, taking the elastic from her and setting it on the counter. Her eyes closed for a moment as he threaded his fingers through her hair, his hand coming to rest on the side of her neck, his thumb lightly stroking her cheek.

"You're not fine," he pressed. "Something's bothering you." She pulled away, snatching up the rubber band as she turned her back on him, pulling her hair up and going to the door. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and following. When he reached the main stairs leading to the courtyard, she was walking toward the forest, axe in hand. He swore, running down the stairs. When he finally caught up to her, she was already hacking at the base of a tree. "What are you doing?" he asked. She paused, wiping her forehead with the back of a hand.

"Well, we need lumber to rebuild the roof. Unless you have spare planks just lying around, we're gonna have to do it ourselves," she said, hoisting the axe over her shoulder and heaving another swing with a grunt. "I figure the roof should be top priority, right? I mean, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't think it'd be a good thing for it to rain inside the house, yeah?"

"So you're going to come in here and take over rebuilding, is that it?" he demanded. She dropped the axe and whirled around to face him.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" she snapped. "I'm helping here. I killed that fucking thing," she said, pointing to where the carcass of the dragon still lay, "and I'm _helping_ put the roof back on that fucking castle. How the fuck is that taking over?" He sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"I'm sorry."

"Christ."

"Look, you're going to hurt yourself with that thing." Her eyebrow rose slowly, and she glanced over her shoulder at the axe lying in the dirt. "Just…" he trailed off with a sigh. "Jesus, don't just automatically assume you have to do everything yourself. Maybe you've had to in the past, but not here. Not anymore." She shook her head, mumbling to herself as she picked the axe up and started wailing away on the tree again. He watched for a few moments. "Chaz."

"What?" she snapped between chops.

"Take it easy okay? I'll be right back. Don't swing that thing until I get back." She sighed, burying the axe in the tree and walking away, plopping to the ground under another tree nearby as he walked back toward the castle. She sat there, mumbling to herself as she fumed, staring up at him angrily as he returned. "Do you at least know what you're doing?" he asked, letting a small smile slide across his lips.

"Does it fucking look like I know what I'm doing?" she snapped, standing and returning to her tree. He watched her wrench the axe free and continue chopping. He chose a tree a few yards away, quickly working up a sweat of his own. "Timber!" she yelled, smiling lightly as the tree started to waver. Creedy jogged to her side. "Well, I thought it was ready to fall," she said with a shrug. They glanced at each other and she walked over to the tree, kicking a foot out to add pressure. Wood split and cracked, and they both backed up, coughing through the dust kicked up as the tree finally fell. "One down."

"How many do you think it will take?" he asked, waving the dust from the air around him.

"No idea," she said. "I'm gonna start chopping this bitch up. Warn me when you get close." He nodded, swallowing thickly as he backed away, turning back to his tree. He shook his head, picking up his axe. His eyes fell on her again as she heaved the axe over her head and dropped it with a thunk deep into the log. She left it there, ripping her shirt over her head and tying it around her waist, once again in a tank. He had to admit she looked good in his jeans, but quickly pushed the thought away with a shake of the head, pulling his own shirt off and going back to work. A few minutes later, he let out a yell to warn her, and they watched his tree fall. "Nice." He smiled at the compliment and wiggled his eyebrows evilly.

"Want to race?" he asked. She cocked an eyebrow at him. "First through the width of it."

"You're crazy, you know that? Don't hack a foot off," she quipped. "You're on, and you're goin' down."

"Is that right?" She only nodded, looking him over quickly before turning back to her log. "Ready?"

"Are you?"

"Yeah."

"You sure?" she asked, throwing a smirk over her shoulder at him.

"Go." They both whipped into a chopping frenzy, Creedy getting through his just barely before her. She let out a huge grunt as she swung the axe through the last shred of the trunk, leaving it stuck in the ground as she plopped into the dirt, leaning over her knees as she caught her breath. "You're getting my jeans dirty," he said quietly, his victorious smirk growing.

"Yeah, and I'm getting them sweaty on the inside too," she shot back with a sigh. "How thick is yours?" she asked after a beat, biting back a laugh as he bent over to approximate the width of the tree.

"About the same size as yours," he said, eyeing the log she leaned against. "Fair competition. You lose."

"Yeah, but what do you win?" she asked, rolling her neck.

"I keep the pride I would have lost if you'd have won," he said, stepping over the log he'd chopped to sit across from her. She smiled, shaking her head.

"You know, it's not such a bad thing to have a strong woman around," she commented.

"I never said it was."

"Might save you some trouble in the long run." She wore a smirk he couldn't help but mirror, and he let loose a quiet chuckle, shaking his head.

"You're amazing, you know that?" he asked after a moment, the smile slowly disappearing.

"Why's that?" she returned, wiping the back of her neck with the shirt she'd taken off, and had fallen off as she raced him.

"You go from being angry enough with me to curse up a storm and the next minute you're jovial like nothing happened," he explained. "I mean, a while ago, you were moping around brooding about something, what it is I've no idea, then you're incredibly pissed off at me, and then we're joking and racing and just fucking around like it was nothing."

"It _was_ nothing, Creedy," she said quietly, running her fingers along the inside hems of the legs of her pants. "And you're right. I'm used to doing pretty much everything myself, but that doesn't mean I can't do it somebody else's way. I've been on my own since I was fucking eighteen, for more than eight years. And I never really lived with anyone. It's not like this is normal for me. I was on my own before they came, and I was on my own after they came, fighting to survive just like everyone else." She sighed, rubbing her eyes with the back of a hand. "I don't know. I just…" she trailed off, shaking her head. "I'm not exactly used to this yet. It's always been me, and if something needed doing, I'd do it."

"But you don't have to do that now."

"I know that," she said, "but I'm not used to that yet. And it's probably going to take me a while." He shrugged, playing with a blade of grass. "What do you do for food?"

"We had a field a few kilometers away, but it's been burned to hell, most of it," he said with a heavy sigh. "I don't know what we're going to do."

"You know, if we clear out enough trees to rebuild the roof, you could probably start up a field closer to the house," she said, glancing around. "Transplant some of the soil and start hoarding seeds." He also glanced around, shrugging again. She eyed him for a moment. "Listen, I'll start teaching you how to be efficient with a bow. That way, if…" she trailed off, and he glanced up at her. "If Quinn doesn't come back, there will still be two of us, you know?" He averted her gaze, and she sighed. "No offense."

"None taken," he said with a quiet snicker. "I just don't want to think about that situation." She nodded slowly. "I mean, I know it's possible. Hell, it's probably likely, but…"

"Look, we've got two huge trees to hack up, clean up, chop up, and haul up," she interjected, groaning as she got to her feet. "Not to mention getting it up onto where the roof used to be and reconstructing everything," she added, holding her hands out to help him up.

"We're doing this the wrong way," he said with a quiet chuckle, taking her hands.

"What do you mean?" she asked, pulling him to his feet.

"I'm supposed to help you up," he answered, resting his hands on his hips. She stared up at him for a moment, finally rolling her eyes and turning away.

"Don't start that chivalry 'let me get the door for you and pull your chair out for you' bullshit," she groaned. "That shit's a luxury we can't afford right now." He smiled, shaking his head and going back to work.

---

"Oh, what I wouldn't give for a shower," she moaned, falling backwards onto the bed. Creedy laughed, ushering the children into the room and tucking them in. She smiled, staring up at the ceiling as they recited their 'prayers'. He stifled a sore groan as he crawled under the sheets next to her.

"Yeah, you could use one," he smarted quietly, receiving a gentle jab to the ribs and a sly grin.

"You're one to talk," she fired back, settling on her side, her back facing him. The room fell silent for a while, until the bed creaked and he turned on his side, tentatively draping his arm over her and pulling her back against his chest.

"You know," he whispered, "I didn't expect to wake up this morning with a beautiful American woman at my side." He was close enough for her to feel his breath on the back of her neck, and she fought a shudder.

"Is it the American part or the part with me all cuddled up against you?" she asked quietly, feeling him chuckle behind her.

"Both, I suppose," he answered, blowing a chunk of her hair out of his eyes. "I've not met many American women that can handle a Scot," he admitted.

"I've not met many men that can handle me," she replied with a quiet chuckle. A moment later she wriggled against him to shift onto her back, looking up at him with a twinkle in her eye. "Especially the ones that try to pull that chivalry crap on me."

"It's not so bad," he said, tucking a chunk of hair behind her ear. His fingers lingered on her face, tracing her features with a feather light touch.

"I can open doors and pull out chairs myself," she said flatly, receiving a fleeting but highly amused smile.

"See, it's not about men thinking women can't do things like that themselves." Her eyebrow rose slowly. "It's about men thinking women are precious enough for us to care about doing small things for them."

"Oh, but the big things like cooking and doing laundry aren't on the list of things chivalrous men do for the women they think so precious, huh?" He smiled, and this time it stuck.

"No, the truth is that most of us are worthless shits in the kitchen." She couldn't help but laugh, and he shushed her quietly, glancing over his shoulder at the children, undisturbed.

"Let me guess," she continued in a whisper. "You believe in love at first sight."

"And what, you don't?"

"I don't believe in love," she said simply. His eyes widened, and he pulled away a little.

"You don't believe in love," he repeated, receiving a nod. "Okay, so how many broken hearts did it take for you to come to that conclusion?" She kept her laugh quiet, lifting her head as he moved his arm, settling it under her again.

"I believe in compatibility and attraction, but not some wishy washy feeling you can't explain but somehow just know."

"So you think love is just compatibility and attraction." She nodded. "That's pathetic."

"What's pathetic about it?"

"It's just horribly depressing to think that. To reduce something like that down to two words that are just as hard to define and claim it makes perfect sense." She sighed, shaking her head. "I mean, it makes sense, perfect sense, but it's still depressing." He paused, glancing down at her quickly. "And what do you have to say about soulmates?"

"Oh, God, don't get me started," she groaned, shifting against his side.

"I take it you don't believe in them, either, then."

"I refuse to believe that out of however many humans are left there's only one that's meant for me. With my luck he'd be on the other side of the world or in a dragon's belly," she sighed, keeping her voice low. A laugh vibrated low in his throat.

"So when you say the other side of the world, do you mean America, then?" Her breath caught as she thought about what she'd just said. At this moment, she was on the other side of the world from where she'd thought through her reasoning, and now it all seemed so questionable.

"I don't know," she said after a beat. "I guess I'll have to think about that one for a while." The room fell quiet, and she started to drift off. Just as Creedy was getting to sleep, she bolted upright, nearly throwing him out of the bed.

"What is it?"

"Shh," she hissed, holding a hand out. He sat up slowly as she closed her eyes, straining to hear. "Take them to the shelter," she said quietly. "I don't know what it is. It's not one of them, but just to be safe." He swallowed thickly, nodding as she moved across the floor. As she neared the main entrance, the tension melted away, and she jogged back to Creedy and the children, still lining up in the bedroom. "It's a horse," she said quickly.

"Okay, Jared. Take them down to the shelter quickly and quietly. We'll go check it out and come get you, alright?" The teen nodded and started ushering the kids down the stairwell, as Creedy and Chaz headed down the main steps, Chaz carrying her crossbow and quiver. They waited at the bottom of the stairs as the horse neared, and Creedy took off toward it. Chaz followed at a slower walking pace, smiling as the two men embraced. Quinn turned to help Alex off the horse, and the older woman stretched and groaned, obviously not used to being on a horse that long. Chaz looked on from a distance as Quinn greeted the kids, hugs exchanged, until eventually everything settled down again.

"So you've started already, then," Quinn observed, glancing up at the start of a new roof.

"Her idea," Creedy said, nodding to Chaz, who only smiled. Quinn nodded. "And it'll go a lot faster now with two more."

"And the dragon?" Alex asked, glancing between Creedy and Chaz. Chaz lifted a hand with a wry smile. Quinn's eyebrows arched in surprise, but he quickly covered and clapped a hand on her shoulder.

"It's late," Quinn said, glancing around the bunk room. Creedy nodded. "Room for two more?"

"Absolutely," Creedy answered with a nod, both he and Chaz following Quinn and Alex into the room. They settled in, Creedy once again wrapping around Chaz, and soon, quiet snores echoed through the castle.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Creedy wiped the sweat from his brow, his chest heaving as he settled down to rest for a while. His attention was drawn to Chaz once again, and he just watched her for a while, pounding nails into the framing of the new roof. He shook his head a little, then glanced over his shoulder as Quinn sat down next to him.

"Don't tell me you've taken a fancy to someone," Quinn chided quietly. Creedy only sent him a look, and went back to watching.

"She's a piece of work, that one," he replied after a beat. "But I think it'll be good to have her around." Quinn snickered, shaking his head.

"Well it's not like I can really say anything." Creedy looked up sharply, quickly following Quinn's gaze.

"You and Alex?" Quinn shrugged, but the sly grin he wore held Creedy's answer. "You stud, you." That comment earned Creedy a quick slap, and he cackled evilly. "I should have known."

"Get back to work," Quinn ordered, wearing an uncharacteristically bright smile. Creedy groaned as he stood, carefully following the outside walls back to where he was working. Chaz glanced up and smiled, pausing to wipe a trickle of sweat from her forehead. She'd long since shed the long sleeve shirt, opting as Alex had to help out with the construction. As dusk fell, workers slowly started streaming off the roof, which was coming along much more quickly than Chaz would have predicted. If it rained now, only a few drips would come through. Tomorrow they would start gathering stones and rocks to cover the entire span of the rooftop. Quinn and Chaz were the last left on the roof several minutes later, and as Chaz stood up, Quinn was at her side. "We should go on in. Get cleaned up."

"You got the water running?" she asked quickly. He flashed her a quick smile, following her down the makeshift stairs to the top level of the castle. "Jesus, I've needed a shower for two weeks."

"It won't be hot water," Quinn said slowly, grimacing slightly as she glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Water is water. Makes no difference when you reek as much as I have lately," she said with a quiet laugh.

---

Chaz sighed, a goofy grin sliding into place as she tipped her head back under the slow stream of water. Quinn was right – it was just plain cold, but feeling the soot and grime wash away was priceless. She pulled out the rubber band holding her hair back and slid it over her wrist, quickly rinsing out her hair. A moment later, she had a towel wrapped around her and was pulling a comb through her hair, growling as she worked through the tangles. She quickly pulled on the clothes she'd washed earlier in the day, thankful they'd pretty much dried. After a quick inspection of the holes in the knees of her favorite pants, followed by a heavy sigh, she hung her towel up on a hook and left the room, moseying into the kitchen for a cup of the coffee taunting her nose.

"Well, you definitely smell better." She smiled, setting down the coffee carafe before looking over her shoulder. Creedy was leaning against the doorframe, water still dripping from his dark curls.

"And you do too. I didn't smell you coming in," she retorted. He grinned, the conversation lulling as he poured himself a cup of coffee as well, leaning against the counter as he sipped. "Kids asleep?" she asked after a moment. He nodded, scratching his beard with a thumb.

"I think Quinn and Alex are, too," he said. She nodded, staring into the steam rolling from her drink. "They turned in, anyway."

"So what's on the agenda after the roof?"

"Are you all about work or do you ever let your hair down?" he asked with a smirk. Her eyebrow rose, but she didn't say anything. "The radio tower, most likely." She nodded, turning away from him.

"My hair _is_ down," she said quietly after a beat, running her fingers through the damp strands as she hoisted herself onto the counter. He watched with an amused smile as she pulled a mini sewing kit out of her pocket, quickly threading a needle and going to work on the holes in her pants.

"Wouldn't it be easier to do that if you weren't wearing them?" he asked, a bemused tone to his voice. A quick smile flashed over her lips and she shrugged.

"You just want to get me out of my pants again." His smile disappeared quickly, a slight blush creeping into his cheeks. Her eyes met his for a moment, and she grinned. He snickered, shaking his head, and she only cut the thread, starting on the hole in the other leg of her pants.

"So what does 'Chaz' stand for anyway?" he mused. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, her hands pausing for a moment.

"Chastity," she answered with a small snicker. "Doesn't really fit any more."

"And why's that?" he asked slowly, a quirky grin sliding across his lips. She met and held his eyes for a long period, brow arched, and shook her head in amusement.

"I'm sure you can figure that out," she said flatly, but the twinkle in her eye remained.

"So was he the one that made you decide you didn't believe in love, or did you have a collection?" She sighed, shaking her head.

"You're relentless, you know that?" He shrugged, setting his empty mug in the sink. "Collective experience, and not just my own," she said quietly. "When your biological mother leaves you when you're three and you bounce from foster home to foster home until you're fourteen, you start noticing things."

"So the mother who gave you that necklace wasn't your real mother," he surmised. She shook her head slightly, heaving a sigh.

"She was my last stop," Chaz said, leaning her head back against the wall. "I moved in with her a couple weeks before my fifteenth birthday. I stayed with her until I turned eighteen. She was the closest thing to a mother I ever knew." He nodded, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Before that, I lived with a closet prostitute, a group home mom whose boyfriends didn't last as long as a roll of toilet paper, and a feminazi that hated men."

"Oh, so that's where you got it," he said, trying to lighten the mood. She shook her head.

"No, I got it from watching three of my friends go through at least a handful of relationships where their boyfriends told them they loved them and punctuated it with boxing practice." Creedy cringed. "Two failed relationships of my own, thankfully not as bad as theirs, and I realized that love is just like the Easter bunny."

"How's that?"

"It's a nice fairy tale, but when it comes down to it," she said, lifting her head to look at him, "it's nothing but bullshit."

"You just haven't met the right kind of guy, then," he said slowly. She snickered, shaking her head as she looked away.

"Here we go with the soul mates shit again," she muttered.

"I didn't say the right one," he responded, "I said the right kind. That leaves room for your obvious distaste for the idea of a perfect match."

"I guess," she answered with a shrug. "Truth is, I don't really know." She licked her lips. "And I'm getting to the point where I don't really give a shit." He clicked his tongue, crossing the kitchen to stand next to her and brush her hair out of her eyes.

"That's a sad point to reach." His voice was nearly a whisper, and she looked up at him slowly.

"I hate to break it to you," she said, "but romance is just a ploy to get into a girl's pants."

"Not always," he retorted, that amused smirk returning. Her face remained expressionless, and his smile slowly slipped away. "Sooner or later, you're going to meet someone that's going to change your mind, and you're going to miss out on so much if you don't take a chance and let someone in, you know that?" Her eyes fell, and she turned her head away slightly. He sighed, his breath ruffling her hair. "You sure do like to cuddle for someone so cynical."

"It's easier when it's dark," she said with a shrug. "Like back in the day when people turned to online dating services. Easier to wear your heart on your sleeve when you're not looking into someone's eyes."

"So that's it," he said, as though he'd just had an epiphany. Her eyes darted up to his questioningly. "You stay as far away from me as you can without being too obvious during the day, but at night…" he trailed off, shaking his head. She swallowed thickly, looking away again.

"Look," she started with a sigh. "There's too much to worry about right now. The kids, finding food, rebuilding—"

"And that makes you think you don't have time for someone else, then," he interjected. She squeezed her eyes shut, rubbing her forehead.

"I'm not good at this," she said after a long pause. He smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear, his hand lingering on her cheek. She stared down at her hands in her lap until he lifted her chin with a finger, her eyes meeting his timidly. His thumb traced over her lips lightly, and she pulled her face from his grasp, sliding off the counter and taking a few steps away from him. "I'm really not good at this," she amended with an uncomfortable laugh. "The longest relationship I've ever had lasted a whole month, and it probably should have been over much longer than that."

"Why's that?" he asked, leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms over his chest.

"I didn't trust him any further than I could throw him," she said with a quiet snicker. "He hated archery, anyway. Never went to any tournaments or anything."

"How did you have tournaments with the dragons, anyway?"

"Underground shelters," she said with a shrug. "Fortified buildings, military bases. It wasn't as spread bad there until a few years ago, really. I mean, it was bad, but we still functioned. Things like that were an escape, I guess. Some sense of normality."

"But not normal enough to let someone in." She glanced at him sharply, quickly turning away again. "You know, not every person you open up to is going to break your heart or try to use you, Chaz," he said carefully. "Believe it or not there are people out there that aren't assholes."

"People like you, right?" He only looked at her, even as she turned back to him. "I don't even know you. I met you a week ago. I don't know anything about you but your name and that you're Scottish."

"What do you want to know?" She sighed, shaking her head and starting toward the door.

"I'm going to bed."

"Chaz…" She stopped, not bothering to turn around. He scratched his forehead with a thumb. "I don't expect you to trust me overnight. All I'm asking for is a chance."

"For what?"

"Whatever happens," he said after a pause. She shook her head, continuing up the stairs to the bunkroom. She settled into his bed, curled into a ball, clutching the sheets tightly under her chin. A moment later, she heard him enter the room, a quiet sigh breaking the silence before he moved, the bed creaking as he sat. She closed her eyes as he laid down, and he crossed his arms behind his head, staring up at the bunk above them. Going against her better judgment, she rolled onto her other side, sliding closer to him and lifting her head onto his chest, her arms tucked between them. A sad smile touched his lips, and he toyed with her hair, tentatively at first. She relaxed against his side, her breathing evening and slowing. When he was sure she was asleep, he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and sighed, returning to staring at the bunk above.

---

Alex was leaning against the doorframe as Creedy walked down the hallway. Her eyes met his for a split second before she went back to staring into the bunkroom, a concerned expression on her face. He stood next to her, leaning in through the doorway and looking back at Alex with a questioning look. She shook her head with a sigh.

"She's been in there all day," Alex whispered. Creedy sighed, glancing back at Chaz all curled up in his bed, the blanket pulled over her head. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Creedy said with a touch of puzzlement. "Has she said anything?" Alex shook her head no. "Nothing?"

"Nothing but a moan here and there, when she moves." Creedy nodded, resting a hand on her shoulder. She watched him walk to the bed slowly, pausing for a moment before sitting. Chaz let out a quiet whimper as the bed moved, curling into a tighter ball. Alex heaved a sigh and left the room.

"You okay?" Creedy asked quietly, rewarded with a harsh shushing sound from somewhere under the blankets. "What's wrong?" he pressed, pulling the blanket away from her face. Her hand flew to cover her eyes, and she turned her head into the pillow. Her skin was red from being so warm under the sheets, her face scrunched up. He sighed, sliding to lay down next to her.

"Oh, don't move so fast," Chaz groaned.

"What's wrong?" he repeated, gently rubbing her arm. She swallowed thickly, flipping the blanket back over her head.

"Migraine." Her answer was muffled by the pillow.

"Do you have anything for it in that handy little backpack of yours?"

"Yeah…" she said slowly.

"But…"

"Dilemma," she whispered. "Live with the pain for a few hours, maybe puke a couple times if you keep moving so much." He let out a quiet laugh. "Or take a pill and get rid of the headache and sleep like I'm dead but not rest at all because of the nightmares."

"Your medication gives you nightmares?"

"Yeah. Codeine. Don't know why, but they're straight from the depths of hell." Her voice was weak and distant, nearly silent.

"Where do you keep it?"

"Front pouch of my bag." He nodded, sitting up and receiving another whimper.

"Any special directions while I'm up?"

"Food first, full glass of water."

"Right," he said, standing. "I'll be right back." He jogged down the stairs, smiling a little when he saw Alex. "Migraine," he said with a small shrug. "She needs something to eat."

"What's she taking?" Alex asked, smirking as Creedy dug through the cabinets to find something to feed her.

"I don't know. Something with codeine."

"Slice of bread will work," Alex said, opening the bag sitting next to her on the counter and pulling out a single piece. "She doesn't need a whole meal." Creedy glanced over his shoulder at her, giving her a single nod as he moved to fill a glass of water, taking the bread as he passed. "She'll be fine," Alex promised, receiving a wave with the bread as he walked away. She shook her head, turning back to her coffee. Creedy took the stairs two at a time on the way up, setting the glass of water on the floor, the piece of bread sitting on top.

"You ready to sit up?" he asked quietly, pulling the sheet back a little. She sighed, opening her eyes into little slits.

"Anything you can do about the light first?" He glanced at the window and nodded, quickly covering it with an extra blanket. When he turned back, she'd pushed herself into a semi-sitting position, already taking tiny bites of the bread as she clenched the glass of water in a trembling hand. He unzipped the front pocket of her backpack and pawed through. "It's the orange bottle." He nodded, wiggling it at her before struggling to open it.

"Just one?" A small nod. She took the pill halfway through the bread, draining the glass. He took it from her and set it back on the floor. "So you'll be alright then?"

"Stay with me," she asked quietly, hunkering back down under the blankets. "Just in case I have a dream." He nodded, pulling his shoes off and sliding under the sheets with her. He lay on his side, gently sliding his arm under her head and pulling her closer to him, his other hand sliding through her hair in a slow rhythm. Her eyes opened and closed slowly, finally staying shut for a while, and he let out a sigh. "I'll be fine," she promised quietly.

"Do you get them often?"

"Not really," she said with a small shrug. "Makes up for all the time I don't have a headache though."

"So you breathing harder," he continued, speaking as quietly as he could without his voice cracking. "Is that the drugs or the headache?"

"The drugs." He nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear and moving his caresses to her arm. "It's a combination of acetaminophen, codeine, and caffeine."

"And it works?"

"Like a charm," she said, pressing a little closer to him. "Am I keeping you from anything?"

"Not at all." With her forehead pressed against his chest, his voice vibrated through her, somehow melting the pain away.

"Keep talking," she requested quietly.

"I thought sound bothered you," he said, pulling away a little to look at her. She wrapped an arm around him, pulling him back to where he was.

"Just talk to me until I'm asleep," she said, digging her fingers into his back. He chuckled.

"Can I move a little?" he asked, the amusement remaining in his tone. She groaned, but nodded, and he rolled onto his back, watching her shift against his side, her head resting on his chest.

"Nothing about dragons."

"Okay, well…" He sighed, trying to think of something to say. "You know, it's not easy to just talk constantly."

"I don't care what you say," she said with a quiet laugh. "Just talk. Hell, say the alphabet or count to a thousand. Just keep talking."

"When I was eight, my brother and I used to skip class and go down to Glasgow Green," he started, running his fingers up and down her spine, smiling as she arched closer to him. "This one day, he was seventeen, his girlfriend came with us, and instead of skipping rocks on the river like we always did, he left me sitting on a bench and ran off into the bushes with his girl. I sat there for hours by myself, just watching people walk by and stare, and finally I got so mad at him I went looking for him. So I walk over to the bushes," he continued, a smile growing on his face as he recalled the day, "and I crawl through into this little clearing and my mouth drops open, and I can't remember why I was so mad at him to begin with. There they were, naked as could be, just working up a sweat, you know…" He trailed off as a quiet snore escaped her. He sighed, brushing her hair away from her face and planting a soft kiss on her forehead. "That was the day I got my education."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Creedy woke to a cold, empty bed. No light was shining through the tattered shade covering the window, so it had to be extremely early in the morning. He rubbed his eyes as he yawned, then looked around the bunkroom, smiling softly at the tiny snores coming from children's noses. With a heavy sigh, he stood, stifling a gasp as his bare feet touched the cold stone floor, and started up the stairs to the main entrance of the castle. She was sitting on the ledge and kicking her feet against the wall below, just as she'd been doing when he'd plopped down next to her and introduced himself. She turned to him as he walked toward her, managing a small smile as he sat beside her.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked. She shrugged, tucking her hair behind her ears. His eyebrow rose, but he didn't say anything more, only leaning his forehead against the banister in front of him, just watching her. Her fingers were closed around the pendant on her necklace, her thumb rubbing it like a worry stone. She noticed he'd noticed and quickly dropped it back inside her shirt, managing a weak smile. "You really liked dragons, didn't you?"

"I still do," she said with a shrug. He sat up, staring at her in confusion. "Hating dragons because they destroy everything we depend on is like hating people because they lie, or are selfish, or get jealous. It's just the way they are, and they can't help it. The tiger doesn't kill the leopard because it has spots. It kills the leopard because it has to if it wants to survive." His eyebrow rose.

"Are you getting philosophical on me?" She smiled again, this time a more real one, and he returned it.

"I think they're beautiful animals doing what they have to in order to survive. It's just too bad their survival means our extinction," she continued quietly. "I'd never killed one before, actually."

"You looked like you knew what you were doing."

"Looked like I knew what I was doing when I was hacking that tree to pieces, too, right?" He glanced at her quickly. "I saw it on television and just mimicked, I guess. Common sense, really. Cut it down and into manageable pieces." She laughed a little and shook her head, while he only looked on with a perplexed expression. "My mom once told me, 'Chastity, if you don't know what you're doing just fake it if it's important'." A heavy sigh. "Best advice anyone ever gave me." She glanced at him but quickly looked away.

"You don't have to do that anymore," he responded.

"Do what?"

"Fake it. Between all of us here, we've got a pretty good handle on things. You don't have to do everything yourself just because you've had to before," he said gently.

"Haven't we had this conversation?"

"Obviously it didn't take," he said with a small laugh. She only stared at her hands in her lap, fidgeting with her fingers. He sighed, shaking his head and turning toward her. "You don't have to be the strong link all the time. No one can do that. Everyone has weaknesses, and that's not a bad thing."

"I know that, Creedy," she interjected quickly. He sighed, leaning back a little. "I don't expect to be the best at everything, or the strongest person. But I'm not willing to let everyone else do everything or let myself stoop to depending on someone else when I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself on my own."

"You're not on your own, and you shouldn't have to be." She sighed, shaking her head as she leaned forward against the railing. "We're all working together here, Chaz. And you trying to be involved in everything and working on something all the time isn't going to do anything but wear you out."

"I have to do something all the time," she insisted, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Why?"

"When I have time to sit down and take a breath…" she trailed off, shaking her head. "I've lost a lot of friends," she restarted. "More than I could count on my hands and feet together, and I was there for most of it. When I stop and just sit around and relax, it all comes back, and I can't live like that."

"We've all lost someone," he replied. "Every one of us here has lost a lot of friends and family, but you have to deal with it. Hiding your problems by working yourself to death isn't going to help. And pretending that nothing bothers you or that you have all the answers won't help either. You just have to be thankful you're still alive and let it go."

"How the hell can I let it go when I close my eyes and it's there?" Her voice rose a notch, ending in a heavy sigh as she pulled herself to her feet. "It doesn't help to pretend they're in a better place, because I don't know if they are or not. They didn't get the chance to make things right before they went. They were taken. In the blink of an eye they were gone, and none of us got the chance to the goodbye and I'm sorry we needed to. I wouldn't be here either if I hadn't pretended like I could handle it and knew what I was doing. That's the only thing any of us have to get us out of this alive." He stood slowly, walking to stand right in front of her, their toes nearly touching.

"Did you mourn them?"

"What? Of course I did."

"No," he said, shaking his head, "Did you cry for them?" Her eyebrow rose. "No, you didn't have time to, did you?" She looked away, swallowing thickly.

"I wouldn't stop if I started," she said, her voice cracking a little.

"Sure you would," he said with a small smile. "You'd run out of tears eventually. Or just fall asleep." She shook her head, but a tiny smirk played on her lips. "Take the time. You never know how much better it might make you feel." She finally looked up as he walked away, disappearing into the castle. _I will not cry_, she told herself. _I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry. Dammit, I'm crying._ A tiny sniffle escaped, and she shook her head, letting out a shaky breath. She returned to her seat on the ledge, looping her arms over the lowest level of the banister, dropping her head and tried to fight the tears. The lump in her throat burned, and the more she tried to swallow past it, the more it hurt and the harder it got. Finally, she squeezed her eyes shut and let out a quiet sob, the scenes playing out again in her mind, the faces of her lost friends returning. A louder, wetter snort escaped, and she cringed, hearing feet shuffle behind her. She tried to straighten up, but she was too far gone now, and a pair of warm arms wrapped around her, pulling her backwards into him. He cradled her against his chest, rubbing her back and rocking her gently as she sobbed, finally giving in and just letting it happen instead of trying to fight it. Slowly, she calmed down, wiping the moisture from her cheeks with the back of a hand. She sniffed and sighed, finally looking up into a pair of eyes she didn't expect, though the concern was there.

"I overheard you crying," Quinn said softly, giving her a small shrug. "Figured you could use a shoulder." She smiled apologetically, shaking her head a little. He helped her to her feet and followed her back into the castle, hoisting himself onto the bunk above Creedy. She stood there for a moment, arms wrapped around her middle to ward off the cold. Finally, she slid into bed, turning on her side and staring at the window, the shade blowing gently in the breeze. Finally, she let her eyes close.

-

"You didn't wake me." Creedy nearly dropped his coffee cup, spinning around toward the door. Chaz shuffled into the kitchen, dropping into a chair at the table with a heavy sigh.

"You seemed to be sleeping well," he said with a shrug, leaning back against the counter. "Figured I'd leave you that way." She yawned, burying her face in her hands. "You okay?" She looked up, managing a small smile, eyes bloodshot and puffy.

"Yeah," she responded with a nod. "I am." He smiled behind a sip of coffee. "You were right," she said slowly after a beat.

"Was I?" A small nod. "Good." Her eyes met his. "I'm glad you feel better." Her smile widened, and she stood to get herself a cup of coffee.

"So what's on the agenda today?" He sent her a look, and she only shrugged, lifting her mug to her lips.

"Well, the roof's almost done," he started after a moment. "We need to find a way to get food pretty soon." She nodded.

"I'm out of those little boxes of cereal, too," she said. "And the cracker supply isn't far behind." He managed a small smile.

"How long has it been since someone went out to that field you said you had?"

"A couple of days before you got here," he said. "So a little over, what, two weeks?" She nodded. "Half of it was burned to hell."

"Well, ash is good for plants," she said. "Maybe it'll help the soil out a little."

"Yeah, but what do we do in the mean time?" he asked with a weighty sigh. She sat back down, shaking her head.

"Take what's ripe," she said quietly, staring off into space. "Pick out the seeds and save them. Start turning the front yard and getting it ready." He stared at the steam rising from his cup. "Cycle it out. Bring some in from the field and keep the seeds. Plant when we have enough and alternate from there."

"So you were a farmer in a past life, then," he said with a smirk. She chuckled, shaking her head.

"No, that's what they did back home. Stagger the harvest, get a better yield," she answered.

"Talk to Quinn about it," he said after a moment. "He can get some people together to help out." She nodded, standing to set her cup in the sink. His eyes followed her as she walked to the hall, pausing in the doorway and turning back to him.

"Thanks," she said.

"For what?"

"Giving me a swift kick in the ass when I needed it," she said. His eyebrow rose, but she flashed him a winning smile and continued out of the room.

-

Chaz was already asleep by the time Creedy and Quinn had gotten all the kids into bed, said prayers, and tucked them in for the night. Quinn headed out to the main level to do rounds along the castle walls with Alex. It had become their ritual, their time alone together. Creedy stayed in the bunkroom, leaning against the doorframe for a while just watching everyone fall asleep. His eyes kept roaming over to Chaz, keeping to her side of the bed as she always did. She got up before the sun and took the early risers out into either the field or the front grounds to garden, and usually went to bed before the sunset had finished its nightly performance. He shook his head, shuffling down to the kitchen. Though it wasn't considered a top priority, he'd started a barrel of his special recipe the other day. It'd only aged a couple of days, and was sure to be a little too harsh, but it sounded like a winner of an idea right now. He plopped down at the table, nearly choking on the first swig, settling instead on watching the liquid swirl around in his glass as he let his thoughts consume him

Things hadn't been going as he'd expected or even hoped. Granted, he'd never expected her to just warm up to him because he was charming, but he didn't think she'd stay this cynical, especially being surrounded constantly with people wanting to help out and do their part. He'd hoped it would put her more at ease, help her open up, but until last night she'd not said anything even remotely personal to him other than her basic background information. The attraction was definitely still there, he'd noticed, but now that they were spending so much time apart, he wasn't sure he'd read her quite right. Maybe he'd just read too much into her gratefulness for a relatively safe place to stay. Or maybe he was just pushing things, expecting too much too soon. He sighed, taking a smaller drink this time, scrunching his face up as it burned its way down to his stomach.

Hell, maybe he'd read her completely wrong and just needed to suck it up and grow some balls. No, that wasn't the answer. If she'd spent that much time last night crying over friends she'd lost over the past decade or so she wouldn't be ready to let someone new in just like that.

"What's up?" Creedy glanced up from his glass and shook his head, grimacing through another sip. Quinn sat across from him, leaning back in his chair. "Chaz, huh?" Creedy managed a small chuckle, but it wasn't heartfelt.

"She gets up at dawn, turns in before I get back," he said quietly, running a finger around the rim of his glass. "She wakes when I go to bed and we talk for a few minutes before she goes back to sleep." He met Quinn's eyes for a moment before looking back to his glass.

"Give her time, Creedy," Quinn said quietly. "Once things get back to normal…" he trailed off with a bitter snort. "Just give her time." Creedy took another sip of his drink and set it down gently, spinning it in circles.

-

Chaz opened her eyes slowly, a soft smile touching her lips as she watched Creedy sleep. Whoever said people were cute when they slept lied. His mouth hung open, soft snores rattling in his throat, and every now and then his eyebrow would twitch. She stifled a laugh and started to sit up, but his arms tightened around her. Her smile grew as he closed his mouth to swallow, his eyes opening slowly. He closed them again, pulling her closer to him, trapping her in the bed with him.

"Why don't you just come with me?" she whispered, grinning as his eyes popped open again. She settled against his side, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Why don't you just take a day off?" he asked after a moment. She smiled, shaking her head.

"Time is of the essence when dealing with plantlife." He smiled, shifting around a little. "It's a full time job," she said quietly. "Gotta talk to them, baby them."

"They're plants, Chaz," he chided. "They don't have ears."

"Oh, they've done studies," she insisted. "Plants respond to the human voice. Especially singing."

"Really." More challenge than question.

"No, not really. But it's something to keep you busy when you're doing something as mundane as taking care of plants," she answered with a snicker. "Seriously," she pressed. "You've been brooding lately and it's getting boring. Just go with me today."

"Quinn and I have to start rebuilding the watchtower," he said with a heavy sigh. "Jared and some of the boys, too." She nodded against him, sighing as well. "Maybe once we get that done."

"We're working out in the front yard today," she said quietly. "Maybe I'll be able to stay up later than usual since I don't have to worry about making the drive home." He smiled lightly when she said that last word so naturally.

"I'll believe that when I see it," he joked. She snickered, wriggling out of his grasp and pulling her long sleeve shirt over her head. He reached out to rub her back as she leaned over to pull her boots on. "How are you doing?" he asked quietly after a moment. She glanced over her shoulder at him with a smile.

"I'm okay," she replied, holding his gaze for a moment before returning to tying her shoes. "I'm a little sore from turning the dirt so much, but I'll be fine."

"That's not what I mean," he said, leaning up on an elbow. She looked at him quickly again.

"I know what you meant," she said, sitting up and turning to him. "I'm okay. I'm not fantastic, but I'm not horrible either. Somewhere in the middle right now." He nodded. "I have to go," she said quickly, standing and going to the door. She turned in the doorway, managing a small smile before continuing on. He shook his head, letting out a quiet groan as he rolled over and went back to sleep.

-

Chaz was covered in dirt from head to toe, mud built up under her fingernails in such volume her nailbeds ached, but the trowel they'd found in the shed out at the field a few days earlier continued turning up the dirt. They'd used one of the firetrucks, as she'd come to call them, to carry loads of ash and dirt from the field off the main grounds onto the front lawn. Most of the kids not yet old enough or strong enough to help with the major reconstruction were joining Chaz and some of the other women in tending to the plants. She was lost in thought, just stirring all the dirt up and making sure everything was mixed well before laying seeds in a few days.

"Chaz?" She snapped out of her haze and glanced up at Liam with a puzzled expression. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, sweetie," she said with an honest smile. "What's up?"

"I just asked you if you wanted something to drink." She smiled, shaking her head a little.

"No, I'm good. Thanks though." He nodded, giving her a weird look before heading up to the house. She glanced quickly at Alex, who was also looking at her quizzically. "What?"

"He called your name at least five times, Chaz," Alex said gently. Chaz sighed, shaking her head and going back to work. "What's going on?"

"I was just thinking, that's all," she answered with a shrug. "Off in my own little world, I guess."

"You've been really quiet recently."

"I'm fine, Alex, really," she insisted with a smirk. "Don't worry." Alex nodded and turned back to her patch of dirt, glancing up at Chaz from time to time. "Will you stop?" Chaz blurted with a laugh. "God, you're acting like I'm about to fall over and break."

"I'm just worried about you," Alex said slowly.

"Well, you don't need to be," Chaz said, burying her trowel in the dirt and leaning back on her hands. "I mean, yeah, all of us have some shit to deal with, but I'm doing okay. I'm not going to pretend like I'm happy when I'm not, and I'm not going to just spew everything I'm thinking about and dealing with." Alex blinked. "But I am dealing, in my own way. I'm working through it, and I'm fine. I promise."

"So what about Creedy?" Chaz's eyebrow rose, and she looked away quickly, picking up the trowel and poking at the dirt in front of her.

"What about him?" Alex paused to glance around before turning back to Chaz.

"He's taken with you, you know," she said quietly. Chaz sighed, still not meeting Alex's eyes.

"I know that." A period passed where neither said anything, Alex watching Chaz for any sign of confiding in her, and Chaz staring at the dirt she continued to prod. "I have a long history of miserably failed relationships, Alex," she finally said flatly. "It's not fair to him."

"You're right, it's not fair to him." Chaz glanced up quickly. "It's not fair for him to have to keep holding out hope that one day you'll notice he cares about you, and it's not fair for him to wonder if you feel anything for him at all." Chaz sighed and shook her head, like Alex didn't understand.

"I do, but I don't know what it is or what to do about it."

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

"I've only known him a few weeks, Alex. And granted I don't have a whole lot of choice here, but it's not always going to be that way. I don't know him. And I'm not going to just…" she stopped with a heavy sigh. "All I know is that I'm attracted to him. That's it, and sorry, but that's not enough."

"What's enough then?" Chaz glanced at Alex sideways.

"I don't know." She sounded disappointed at her answer, and Alex smiled reassuringly.

"Why don't you just tell him, then?"

"Tell him what?" Chaz asked. "Look, Creedy, I think you're hot, but I don't know if I can let you in because I'm such a cynical bitch. I don't know if I can open up to someone I hardly know even if I want to fuck your brains out?" Alex glanced around quickly, glad that Chaz had kept her voice low enough for the nearest children not to hear. "Sorry," Chaz added quickly, looking around at the kids as well. Alex only shook her head with an amused smile.

"All I'm saying is that he's not going to wait forever. No one can," Alex said gently.

"I know that."

"Just give him something. Whether it's just that you haven't figured it out or that you don't want to go there. Give him something." Chaz didn't reply, and Alex let it drop as Liam returned from the house, plopping next to Alex to help paw through the dirt.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Dusk was falling slowly, bright orange light still beaming over the tops of the hills around the castle. Creedy was the only one left working on the watchtower, his shirt hanging over a ledge and held down by a spare chunk of wood. The breeze tickled over his damp skin, and he paused to wipe a trickle of sweat from his forehead. Chaz stood a few feet away, leaning back against the railing just watching. He managed a small smile before pounding another nail into the wood.

"It's getting dark," she said quietly.

"I see that." Her small smile fell, and she looked away. "I'm almost done," he added between thwaps of the hammer. She nodded, turning around to lean her forearms on the banister, staring out over the land surrounding the castle. A few moments later, he set his hammer down and pulled his shirt back over his head.

"Alex and Quinn are in there doing Snow White," Chaz offered quietly. Creedy snickered, leaning against the railing next to her. "She thought I should talk to you," she added after a long pause.

"What about?" She sighed, dropping her head. When she looked up at him, he was still staring back expectantly, and she turned back toward the horizon to avoid his eyes.

"I don't know what do about this," she finally said.

"You don't know what to do about what?"

"Look, I'm attracted to you," she started, stopping to bite her lip and glance at him nervously.

"But…"

"I've told you, I'm not good at relationships." He chuckled, shaking his head before staring up at the work they'd done on the watchtower. "Actually, I really suck at relationships. And I don't think it's fair for you to get involved with me."

"Now, shouldn't I be the one that decides what's fair for me and what isn't?" he asked, his eyes shifting back to her face. As he expected, she wasn't looking at him. "I don't expect you to be perfect, if that's what you're afraid of."

"No, it's not…"

"And I hope you don't expect me to be perfect, because I'm not either," he continued, cutting her off. She turned to him quickly. "None of us are. I don't know why you're so terrified of letting someone in, but you're going to have to learn to get over that if you don't want to spend the rest of your life wishing you had something you feel like you're missing."

"Creedy—"

"You're missing out on so much because you're so preoccupied with protecting yourself. But you have to take chances to gain something, and until you do that, there's nothing I can do about this, either. I'm not going to pretend I don't feel something for you when I do just so you don't have to think about what you need to do to feel something for me."

"Creedy, I—"

"I can't make you care about me, and I don't want to try to. But I'm not going to help you stay sheltered from everything just so you don't get hurt. You're going to, and if this happens, it'll probably be because of me. But what matters is how you decide you're going to handle getting hurt."

"Will you shut up and let me talk?" she finally edged in, smiling slightly. He sighed, pursing his lips. "I know I'm going to get hurt eventually. And I know I have to take a chance to let this happen."

"So what's the problem?" She looked away, crossing her arms over her chest. "And don't tell me you have too many other things to concentrate on. We both know that's bullshit." She didn't respond, turning away from him slightly. He took a step toward her, watching her tense. "Close your eyes," he instructed quietly. She turned toward him, eyebrow arched, finally giving in and letting them close. "Keep them that way." Her brows furled as he reached out, tucking her hair behind her ears, his thumbs lingering to trace the lines of her face lightly. His hands slid down the sides of her neck to her shoulders, and he turned her back toward him, brushing her hair over one shoulder before gently massaging the knots away. She slowly relaxed, leaning back against him. He looped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into him as he just held her for a moment. Her breath caught in her throat as he lightly pressed his lips to the side of her neck, just under her jaw. He lifted an arm to tilt her head to the side a little to give him better access, his other arm dropping to wind a hand around her waist and turn her around. She opened her eyes slowly, finding his face just inches from hers, his eyes searching for permission, but she couldn't grant it. She looked away, letting her forehead rest against his chest.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. He sighed, wrapping his arms around her.

"It's going to start getting cold," he said. She nodded against him, taking a while to pull away and head inside. He followed her into the kitchen, and they split the last bit of coffee left, sitting at the table in silence. "You've known me longer than a week, by the way," he finally said, breaking the silence. She glanced up at him, a small smile playing on her lips. "More like a month, really."

"Still not very long," she replied quietly.

"So do you have a set period of time where not very long turns into long enough?"

"No," she answered with a snicker. He smiled, taking a sip of his coffee. Her smile fell the longer her eyes lingered on him, and she finally looked away with a heavy sigh. "I just don't want this to play out with no privacy, you know what I mean?"

"Oh, you mean like everyone sleeping in the same room, eating in the same room, working in the same area."

"Exactly."

"Well I'm sure once the roof is finished the inside of the house will start getting put back together," he said with a small shrug. "But in the mean time, we could always just take a walk or something. There are places to go to be alone."

"Yeah, but I'm sure Quinn and Alex have already claimed them." Chad nearly spit out his coffee, instead swallowing quickly and letting out a roar of laughter. She only smiled sweetly over the rim of her cup. His laughter gradually wound down, ending with an amused sigh, and he shook his head, raising his coffee cup in a salute before draining what little was left. "We're going out to the field tomorrow," she said after a while, tracing the rim of her mug with a finger. "Why don't you come with us?"

"Well, if I'm going to do that, we should probably go to sleep," he said after a moment's thought. A tiny smile touched her lips, and she stood, taking his empty cup from him and setting it in the sink. Neither said a word as they ascended the steps and tiptoed into the bunkroom, crawling under the sheets next to each other. She settled her head on his shoulder, her hand flattened against his chest, and he lifted an arm to run his fingers through the chunks of hair falling from her ponytail. Her eyes closed, that small smile still playing on her lips. As her breathing slowed into an even rhythm, he slowly drifted off as well.

-

Chaz stared out the window as Creedy drove the truck out to the field, two children squeezed between them and several more in the back of the vehicle, probably bouncing all over the place as he took the bumps in the road without slowing down. Her backpack was clenched tightly between her feet to keep it from bouncing around and disturbing the few explosive arrowheads she'd brought with her. They reached the field in under twenty minutes and everyone piled out, all carrying gardening equipment and bags.

Creedy walked through the rows of crops with about a third of the kids, including Jared, supervising them and giving them instructions on how to pick only the ripe fruits and vegetables so they could harvest the seeds and replant them. From the carrots and other flowering plants, they inspected the few flowers blooming, picking out the seeds that were ready and dropping them into a small cheesecloth pouch. They worked quickly, the smell of the rotting dragon corpse far away enough that they weren't as protected as the sun slowly rose above the hills.

Chaz took the remaining kids through the barest areas of the field, helping them quickly turn the soil, leaving the decaying plant material in the dirt as fertilizer. They sprinkled seeds in rough trenches, several children following behind and covering them up. Just as the top curve of the sun started to peek over the top of the tallest peaks, they all scrambled back to the truck and climbed in, welcoming the stench of the slimy reptile as they neared the castle. As soon as Creedy cut the engine, the children bound out of the truck to play on the front lawn, careful to avoid the maturing makeshift field, which now had the beginnings of leaves starting to poke out from the soil. Without a word to Creedy, she climbed out of the cab of the truck and smiled as the two children inside hopped out, running to join in with the others. She moseyed toward the young plants, hearing the crunch of gravel under Creedy's boots behind her.

He watched her for a while, crouching down to inspect each tiny little plant, running her fingers over the leaves gently, searching for insects or other pests. As she continued on without looking up at him, he crossed his arms over his chest, just watching her. She worked her way down one short row and up the next, stopping at each and every green sprout, spending an equal amount of time with each one. Finally, he met her at the middle of a row, dropping to his knees next to her.

"What are we looking for?" he asked, reaching out to mimic the movements of her fingers.

"Anything bad," she answered cryptically, turning to smile at him. His eyebrow rose.

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning anything that crawls or makes it look unhealthy." He shrugged, making a face telling her it didn't seem to hard, and they played leapfrog through the small field, alternating plants in their inspections.

"So what do you plan on doing if you find something considered bad?" he asked, moving past her to the next plant.

"Depends. If it's a bug, kill it and look for more. I don't think we have anything to treat them with. If there's a leaf that's growing mold or powdery mildew or something, pull it and chuck it somewhere far away from the rest of the plants. And if it's too far gone, pull it."

"Pull it," he said, sounding disbelieving.

"A plant that's infected with something isn't going to produce much, if anything," she said with a tiny shrug. "Definitely won't give us anything we can get seeds from. So there's no sense letting it waste the few nutrients in the soil that could be used by a healthy plant."

"Right," he said, sending her a quizzical glance. She looked up at him, her face blank.

"One of my best friends was a horticulturist. She handled most of the crop raising wherever we ended up." He nodded, his lips forming a silent 'oh'. They worked silently for a few more rows, Creedy stealing numerous glances at her though she never seemed to notice. The sun was high in the sky as they finished up, and she stood, shielding her eyes to look out over the horizon.

"What are you looking for?"

"You think it's gonna rain today?" she asked hopefully, glancing up at him. He shrugged, taking a few deep breaths through is nose.

"Maybe." Another quick sniff. "Not any time soon, though." Her eyebrow rose, and he blinked at her. "You never stopped to see if you could smell the rain coming?"

"I usually feel it in my knees," she said with a quiet snicker. "But there it's so rainy all the time my knees ache constantly." He laughed, shaking his head and starting toward the castle, brushing the dirt from his hands. As they started up the steps, Quinn popped his head over the ledge above and shouted Creedy's name.

"Bring up some firewood with you," he called, motioning over his shoulder. "We're getting low in the kitchen." Creedy waved and turned to start back down the stairs, Chaz in tow. He looked up at her, still in a crouch, as she stopped, holding her arms out.

"Load me up," she said, wiggling her fingers. His eyebrow rose, but he complied, piling a stack of wood into her arms, the stack nearly reaching her chin.

"Got it?" he asked, a wicked smirk touching his lips. She nodded, shuffling her feet to turn around. He watched, suppressing a cackle as she twisted around, moving the wood out of her way so she could see the steps before her and keep from tripping. Once he was sure she could make it, he stacked a pile for himself and followed her up. It was slow going back down the stairs to the kitchen, Chaz's legs trembling as she carefully made her way to the bottom, dropping the wood next to the fireplace. She picked the slivers of wood out of her forearms as Creedy stacked all of it neatly.

"What's for dinner?" she asked, watching Quinn mill around with his back to her.

"All we have is potatoes," he said with a small shrug.

"Again?" Creedy sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "What about all the stuff we brought in this morning?"

"It's not been seeded yet," Quinn answered, nodding to the stack of brown cheesecloth sacks piled in a corner.

"We can do that," Chaz offered, glancing at Creedy, who nodded. "Anything specific?"

"Whatever you want with potatoes," Quinn said, managing a small smile to Chaz and a nod to Creedy. Chaz started on slicing three carrots as Creedy sliced a couple of tomatoes and picked out the seeds, dropping them into a mug. She rinsed the carrots quickly, slicing them into thin rounds. Quinn continued peeling and chopping potatoes, all of them dumping their cuttings into a pot of water as they went.

"You know what I think?" she finally asked, fed up with the silence only broken by their cutting.

"What do you think?" Quinn asked, receiving a small smile.

"I think someone should venture out and see if there's anything growing in a safe distance. See if we can find anything else that can beef up our collection."

"There's nothing growing for miles, Chaz," Creedy said quietly, not looking up from his small tomatoes. "They burned pretty much everything to the ground."

"Do you know how good ash is for plants?" she returned, glancing at him as she dropped another handful of sliced carrot into the pot. "Sweetie, you're doing that the hard way," she said, shaking her head as she watched Creedy pick out the seeds one by one." He looked up, eyebrow arched into a question, and she sighed, setting her knife on the counter. Both Quinn and Creedy watched in fascination as she picked up a whole tomato, rolling it gently on the counter under her hand, just enough to break it down a little. She sliced it open, pouring mush and seeds into his mug. "You can rinse off the goo later," she said. "There's not as much meat, but it gets all the seeds out a lot faster without having to chase them around the counter," she said, handing him another tomato. Quinn nodded in satisfaction, picking out the eyes of another potato before starting on cutting and peeling it. "Anyway, did you ever think about why they did controlled burns in national forests and stuff? Or did they not do that here?" Creedy and Quinn glanced at each other, then looked to Chaz, who only continued carefully slicing the last carrot.

"What do you mean?"

"There are some plants," she continued, "whose seeds only germinate after they've been burned. And most fires never reach the roots, no matter how hot they burn, so there's always something left beneath the surface." She paused to drop a handful of choppings into the pot before turning back to the second half of the carrot. "The part of the plant above ground – the part that gets burned – doesn't lose any of the nutrients. It's all converted into a different form. The ash covers the ground, it rains, and the nutrients soak back into the dirt. Roots soak it up and grow into another plant." She punctuated the statement with the last handful of carrot plopping into the pot and looked up at them, a satisfied smirk turning her lips. "You didn't know that?" They both shrugged, turning back to their tasks. "I think a small group should go out. Someone who knows where they're going," she added

"I'll go," Creedy said quietly, receiving a quick glance from Quinn.

"Take Alex with you," Quinn requested equally as quietly. "And Chaz, take your crossbow. Alex will have one as well." Her brow furrowed a bit."

"Alex will have one what?" All three looked up to see Alex leaning against the doorway, an amused smile on her face. "What's cooking?"

"Potatoes with carrots and tomatoes," Chaz said. "We're going out gathering tomorrow. Quinn wants you to come with us and take his crossbow." She nodded, plopping at the table.

"Do you happen to know what grows wild around here?" Chaz asked, sliding into a chair next to Alex, wiping the soot she smeared on her hand as she sat onto her pants.

"No telling now," Quinn said, hoisting the pot and carrying it over to slide it into the fire. Chaz nodded thoughtfully, tucking a rogue strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hope we can find some grain. Make some more bread."

"No yeast," Alex said. Chaz cocked her head to the side.

"Bread is bread. Still works if it's flat." Alex snickered, shaking her head.

"Ever the optimist, huh?"

"Not really," Chaz answered with a smile. "But I try to be."

"I hope we find strawberries," Alex said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Currants," Quinn chimed in. Chaz wrinkled her nose, and he cracked a grin. "What? I like currants."

"Find barley," Creedy said, dropping into the chair next to Chaz. "We could make beer. Or whiskey if you find some corn."

"We'll find what we find," Chaz said through a laugh. "But you do know that if we find barley and/or corn, eating is first priority and alcohol is reserved for the leftovers, if there is any." He shrugged, flashing a toothy grin. She shook her head, turning back to Alex.

"I'm hoping we find some kind of meat." Alex's eyebrow rose. "Catch a couple, a male and a female, and set up a place for them to breed. Have rabbit or something once in a while."

"Does anyone know how to clean a rabbit?" Alex asked. They all shrugged.

"How hard can it be?" Creedy asked. "Peel it and chop it."

"More complicated than that, but whatever," Chaz said with a snicker. "I don't know. We'll find what we find. No promises on that, even."

"When do you want to go?"

"Tomorrow morning," Alex suggested. "To start with. Not go too far. We can take several trips and see what we find. Start a map or something, in case we need to go back later." Chaz nodded. "Do like we do with going to the field. Stick to dawn and dusk.

"Creedy, will you go get the kids?" Quinn asked, butting into the conversation. "I think the potatoes are almost cooked." Creedy nodded, standing and leaving the kitchen. Fortunately, all the flatware and silverware had been metal, and hadn't been destroyed in the fire, and Quinn stacked it up on the edge of the counter, Alex and Chaz joining him to help serve up the kids' stew as they lined up and got their bowls, working their way down the line before finding a place to plop down and eat. The adults served themselves, finding the few open spots to lean or sit and eat. Chaz opted to slide onto the counter, watching the kids as she ate. As the kids finished, they stacked their bowls in the sink, and Jared was given dishwashing duty. As Chaz trudged up the stairs to watch the sun go down, she hoped they'd soon have enough for more than one meal a day. Her tiny boxes of cereal had run out a couple days after she'd gotten there, and no matter how well she stuck to rationing her little fish crackers, they'd not lasted long either. Now that her snacks were gone, she didn't have anything to hold her or anyone else over until dinner finally came.


End file.
